Donald J. Sundman, president of Mystic Stamp Company, has made a personal donation of $25,000 to Boston 2026 with an additional pledge being made on behalf of the firm.
Considered by many as one of the hobby’s most effective and enthusiastic promoters, Don comes from a family of collectors. His father, Maynard Sundman, founded the Littleton Stamp Company in 1945 catering to collectors out of his home. It greatly expanded through his approval service.
The Sundman family purchased Mystic Stamp Company in 1974 when 19-year-old Don was appointed as general manager alongside his brother, David, who managed coin operations. Today Mystic has over 110 employees at its Camden, NY headquarters and is 100% employee owned.
Don has been at the center of philately’s most notable stories of recent years. He and David broke the 1987 story of the CIA invert through details obtained through their Freedom of Information Act request. Mystic successfully filed a law suit in 1994 to prevent the USPS destruction of the Legends of the West recalled error sheets. Following the firm’s 1998 purchase of the unique U.S. 1 cent Z grill for nearly a million dollars, Don made history again by trading it for the 1918 inverted Jenny plate block in 2005. Mystic’s $50,000 reward offered for the return of two inverted Jenny stamps stolen in 1955 successfully recovered position 76 of the famous sheet of 100 and announced during World Stamp Show-New York 2016 to a worldwide audience.
In 2004 Don was elected Chairman of the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, stepping down in 2021 but remaining on the Board. He was appointed a Trustee of the Philatelic Foundation in 2006. The APS honored him in 2010 with the Luff Award for Outstanding Service. He has sponsored over 8,000 APS members, a society record. His philanthropic endeavors continue to be numerous and noteworthy.